The Crimson Tide Is Biting Off That Humble Pie To Stay Focused

But we know what's up.

Alabama players are trying to drown out everything that's saying how they're destined for a three-peat as BCS champions and how there isn't another team that measures up either in the SEC or outside of it.

Don't think for a second this point gets lost on the Crimson Tide, from the coaching staff to the dudes that barely see the field. But this squad is taking the traditional approach of not looking too far ahead and focusing on the task at hand. Right now, that task is beating Virginia Tech to a pulp in the season opener, which everyone also fully expects them to do.

"Everybody needs to have the same mindset. We can't worry about what everybody thinks, what everybody's predicting. Just go out and play the game and take one play at a time, one game at a time and we'll be all right."

"It's an example but we've been preaching that for years now," McCarron said. "We can't worry about it. That was a different team then and it's a different team now. Got different players and different mindsets among the team as individuals. We've got to focus on our goal this year, our purpose to be out there. You don't really win the game on Saturday. You win it every day before that."